The “Language” of Poker Betting
Humans are highly perceptive creatures. We are able to communicate in many different ways with each other. Say something, say nothing, shrug, win, delay, etc. All of these are ways of communicating.
Do you realize that when you place a poker bet you are actually communicating something to the other players? Understanding what you are communicating with your bets and understanding what other players are communicating with their bets is one of the cornerstones of a good game of poker.
By mastering this form of poker communication, you will become a truly formidable poker player. If you ignore this betting language you will lose constantly, it’s as simple as that.
When a player calls, it often just means that they are limping to see the next card in hopes of improving their hand. When a player checks, it usually means that he isn’t too happy with his current hand and would like to see another card before making any move. Yes, they could be trapping, but that’s the exception, not the rule.
When a player bets, they are communicating that they like their hand and want some action, so they are risking more chips to take control of the action or simply take the pot. Whether or not these communications are “real” depends on what style of player they are: tight, solid, loose, manic, etc. and how this player communicates.
If you’ve been paying attention (as you should be), you’ll have a pretty good idea of how “honest” this player (betting/gaming) usually communicates. Aggressive players who play a lot of hands and raise a lot to get people out of pots can generally be considered “rogue” and cannot be trusted to communicate (bet) honestly.
Tight/solid players are relatively honest, usually betting more according to the true strength of their hand, which makes them easier to read most of the time. Learn to read the betting signals from these different players and you will be surprised how much your game improves.
Decide how “honest” or “dishonest” you want your betting signals to be that other players are reading from you. Try to mix these signals up a bit so the other players can’t tell what to expect from you and it will help by getting them to make more mistakes against you, resulting in bigger wins.
Now, let’s take a look at an example situation. Let’s say you’re in a game with 9 people at the table and on the button, so you’ll be acting last and have the most information to work with. His starting hand is good, but not great, like a 67-spad suited connector. The action arrives and half the players have withdrawn, and several players have limped in. You continue and limp as well, wanting to see the flop like everyone else. The flop comes: 4s, Jc, 9d – not exactly what you expected. The first three players pass. The fourth player posts a bet of 3 times the big blind. So where are we?
Ignoring your hand for a moment (since we’re talking about betting and communicating, right?), everyone except the fourth player communicated that they didn’t really like the flop, then the fourth player made a decent bet. Is he trying to steal the pot or does he now have a pair of Jacks? Since we’ve been observing the playing style of these players all along, and quickly realize that this is a pretty tight player, we would correctly conclude that this basically “honest” and tight player has hit that pair of Jacks.
On the other hand, if the fourth player had been playing loose with a lot of betting and raising, stealing a lot of pots and putting a lot of pressure on people, then they cannot be trusted as they are fundamentally “dishonest” with their bets. communication patterns.
See how this works? Now about your hand. You should fold either way here, as the odds of you making a flush or straight aren’t great, and there’s a top pair of Jacks that is possible and likely based on what’s being communicated (and someone might be trapping that as well). marked too) .
So what are you communicating with your bets? Are you thinking about it? Before placing a bet, you should consider what “message” you want to send to the other players and ensure that your desired message is delivered, in order to affect the actions of the other players and monitor the results more frequently.
What do others communicate to you with their bets? What kind of “communicator” are they? Honest or dishonest? Consist of variable gold? How much do you believe in what they are telling you? Are you really listening, or are you just looking at your own hand too much?
So, betting is communicating. Become truly fluent in this “language of poker” and you will be amazed at how much your winnings increase.
Good luck!
Haystack